Part 28

Monday has come to greet Claire, who is already dressed in her work outfit. The teenagers who had stayed with her a few days ago have now returned to their respective homes. Abigail has gone back to her father's house, and so has Flavia. The atmosphere in Claire's house has turned quiet again, but she can't force them to stay with her since they have their own families.

Grabbing her work bag and car keys, Claire steps out of her house. She locks the front door and opens the gate before pulling her car out of the garage. While waiting for the engine to warm up, she closes the garage door.

Although there aren't many valuables in her home, Claire still has to be cautious since she lives alone. Who knows if a burglar might break in and decide to hide there because they feel comfortable?

Don't be mistaken; incidents like that have been happening quite frequently lately. Burglars have even managed to stay hidden for days in empty rooms, quietly taking food from the fridge while the homeowners sleep.

As she waits for her car to warm up, Claire decides to freshen up in the car. She brushes her still-damp hair, applies some hair vitamins, and puts on a bit of moisturizer to keep her face looking good.

Who says Claire doesn't pay attention to her appearance? Just because she often ties her hair back or puts it up while working doesn't mean she doesn't take care of it. Do you really think that her thick, beautiful black hair is the result of using leftover frying oil? No. It's all thanks to the regular care she gives it—creambaths, masks, and vitamins.

And her face? Even though Claire only wears a light powder and lip balm or lip cream, that doesn't mean she doesn't care for her skin. She diligently does facials and masks, as well as skin care before bed. While she doesn't get Botox or any of that stuff done at a beauty clinic, she regularly treats herself both at home and at beauty salons.

So, the saying that beauty is expensive is indeed a fact. But expensive in what way? Claire has never been willing to spend a lot of money just for beauty treatments. With products she can get at the supermarket or local market, Claire can enhance her appearance. And don't ask what she does it for or who she does it for, because she takes care of her beauty as an investment in herself.

She loves herself, which is why she takes care of herself as best as she can. If others enjoy looking at her, that's just an added bonus for Claire. But she never aims to please others or seek their praise. Everything she does is for herself.

Once she's finished with her look, Claire drives her car to the office. Fortunately, the traffic is light that morning, so she arrives in the parking lot in just ten minutes. After parking her car in the employee area, Claire enters through the front lobby and greets a few people she knows.

The Kansas branch office is neither as spacious nor as luxurious as the Coskun Company headquarters in Manhattan. Additionally, the number of employees here is smaller, making it easier for Claire to remember everyone's names.

She took the elevator up to her office. Only a few colleagues from her division had arrived, so their workspace still looked empty, while her best friend, Bella, usually arrived five minutes before nine.

Claire set her bag down at the bottom of her desk, turned on her computer, and grabbed the new insulated tumbler she had just bought before heading to the pantry for some packaged coffee.

The office boys, office girls, and cleaning staff were sitting comfortably in the pantry, enjoying their breakfast after completing their tasks. In this office, the office boys and girls start work at six in the morning and finish at ten at night, so they are divided into two shifts each day.

"Miss Hampton, you're here! Would you like me to make you some coffee?" Peter offered with his characteristic friendly smile. Claire shook her head.

"Has Shelly arrived yet?" she asked while filling a small pot with water from the tap and placing it on the stove.

"Not yet," he replied.

Claire nodded. Once the water boiled, she poured coffee into her tumbler, followed by the hot water, and then stirred it. After making sure everything was dissolved, Claire added cold water so the hot coffee wouldn't burn her tongue.

"You're really strange," Peter remarked casually.

As Claire stirred her coffee, she looked at Peter. "What's so strange about that?"

"You brew coffee with boiling water, but then you add cold water. Isn't that odd?"

Claire laughed at his response. "Let me ask you this: when you brew coffee with hot water from the dispenser, do you drink it right away?" she asked.

Peter shook his head. "Of course not. My tongue would burn if I did."

"So what do you do with your coffee?"

"I let it sit until it cools down."

"Doesn't that mean you're a bit strange too? If you wait for it to cool down, then why brew it with hot water? Just brew it with cold water!" Claire replied casually.

Peter scratched his head in confusion. "That's a reasonable point," he said, nodding his head, even though he was still puzzled by Claire's logic.

"I brew coffee to drink right now, not to let it sit or to drink later in the afternoon. So I use hot water to dissolve the sugar and then add cold water to make it just right for my tongue. After stirring," Claire took a sip of her coffee, "it tastes delicious..." she said with a mischievous smile on her face.

Peter laughed, and a deep voice from the direction of the door joined in. Claire and Peter turned to see their boss standing there, watching Claire intently.

"Are you auditioning for a coffee commercial, Claire?" Shelly asked as she entered the pantry.

"Yep, ma'am. Luckily, I'm getting an endorsement from Peter," Claire replied casually.

"I want one too; please make me a cup just like Claire's that tastes delicious," Shelly requested, making Peter's eyes widen as he shook his head.

"I don't know how Miss Hampton makes her coffee. She brings her own," he said, confused.

"Don't be confused; just make her the usual coffee she drinks," Claire said, patting Peter on the shoulder before returning to her cubicle. Just as she sat down, Claire noticed the company owner entering, greeted by the "good morning" salutes from employees that stopped as the tall, big man walked into his office.

Time passed with the nonstop busyness. So focused on her work, Claire didn't realize that lunchtime was approaching. She had just straightened her back when someone whispered to her, "The boss's girlfriend is back again." It was Bella.

"What do you mean?"

"The woman in the sexy outfit with a Spanish guitar body who was here before; I saw her come in again. Look around; the guys are acting like randy tomcats." Bella commented, causing Claire to notice the men now huddled around a table, whispering softly about something Claire couldn't quite hear.

"Well, what's it to you? Are you going to ask her for beauty and sexiness secrets?" Claire teased, making Bella roll her eyes.

"I could never compete with her. Do you think beauty treatments are paid for with a sad face?" Bella replied, turning her head away. Claire laughed.

Claire returned her focus to her work, ignoring the whispers from the men, which felt more like teenage gossip seeking attention. At exactly noon, Bella slid her chair closer to Claire's cubicle and asked, "Where are we having lunch?" with excitement.

"I don't know; what about you?" Claire replied.

"How about the buffet restaurant in Block D?" Bella suggested.

Claire thought for a moment but then nodded her head. They both grabbed their phones and wallets before walking together toward the elevator, with Bella playfully wrapping her arm around Claire's.

Just as they were about to press the elevator button, they saw Antony walking in with the woman Bella had just been talking about. This was the same woman who had recently become the subject of conversation between Claire and Flavia. Out of politeness, Bella noticed the elevator doors were almost closing and pressed the open button again so that Antony and the woman could get in too. In this branch office, there wasn't a special elevator for executives since the office wasn't as large as the headquarters.

"Good afternoon, Sir," Bella greeted as they entered. Antony glanced at Claire and smiled, and she responded to his greeting with a slight nod of her head.

Antony and Anastasia stood in front of Claire and Bella. Claire couldn't help but notice how tightly Anastasia's hand was clinging to Antony's arm. She saw Antony trying to shake her off, but it seemed Anastasia was just as determined to keep her arm wrapped around him. Eventually, Antony seemed to give up, as Anastasia didn't appear to mind getting even closer to him. The woman seemed oblivious to how uncomfortable it made those around her feel.

"Did you end up spending the weekend at the mall?" Bella whispered, trying to ease the awkwardness in the small, square space. Claire answered her friend's question with a nod. "And how's Yudhis? When are you going to formalize your relationship?" she asked, curious.

"We don't feel the need to formalize anything," Claire replied in a flat tone.

All this time, Bella had always suspected that Claire and Yudhis had something special going on, not just a simple owner-manager relationship. And Claire had never clarified Bella's assumptions, allowing everyone to think what they wanted as long as it didn't tarnish her reputation.

"Actually, how long have you two known each other?" Just as the question was asked, the elevator doors opened. Claire and Bella waited for Antony and Anastasia to exit first, but for some reason, the couple just stood there as if frozen.

"More than three years," Claire answered without any particular intention, and then she watched as Antony and Anastasia finally left the elevator.

"Turns out you've known each other for a long time. Does that mean Yudhis is a good guy?" Bella asked, intrigued.

"If he weren't a good guy, I wouldn't have stuck with him for this long," Claire replied with an ambiguous smile.